This month’s GeneaGem is Documenting the American South, an online collection of sixteen thematic collections of primary source material for the study of Southern history, literature and culture.

This collection is very easy to access. Simply click on the link for each:

Topics in this collection are varied. For those with enslaved ancestors in North Carolina, check out “North American Slave Narratives.”

“Oral Histories of the American South” has documented the stories of 500 people with a focus on Southern life.

“North Carolina Maps” provides a number of historical maps that would be very helpful for researchers interested in the travels of their ancestors.

Anyone with North Carolina connections should take some time and browse these GeneaGem resources!

May’s GeneaGem will be of interest with those having Appalachian ancestors. The Archives of Appalachia is housed at East Tennessee State University and features more than 17,000 items in 170+ individual collections.

Some of these collections are definitely genealogically oriented. For those lucky enough to have Templeton ancestors who came from Scott County, Virginia, just take a look at the featured collection – Templeton Family Papers, 1816-1914! Items include land deeds, tax receipts, agreements, summons, a folk remedy, affidavits and estate papers. I’d give my eye teeth to find something like that pertaining to a branch of my family tree.

There are also a number of historical photographs, which provide a glimpse into ordinary every day life of Appalachian residents.

Business papers feature prominently, but the Cameron-Powell Store Ledger 1834-1862 makes for interesting reading and anyone related to the Barrus or Sherfey families have won the lottery with their genealogy items. The most common type of collection on the website is probably the collections of family papers, which don’t say “genealogy” in the title, but include quite a number of surnames.

Also in the collection are a few diaries and journals, church records, a postcard collection and even a new collection – Telling Your Story – Documenting Covid-19 in East Tennessee 2020-2021.

This is an excellent regional collection and one that is growing. If you have Appalachian ancestry, be sure to check it out.

April’s GeneaGem is definitely not an April Fool’s Day prank!

PastPerfectOnline invites readers to “view millions of artifacts from hundreds of museums, library, and archive collections.”

At the top left corner, click on List of Collections:

A very lengthy list of 900+ collections, helpfully grouped by state, appears.

There is a huge variety available, ranging from the Texas Czech Heritage & Cultural Center to the American Precision Museum in Vermont to Wisconsin’s Norwegian American Genealogical Center and Naeseth Library to Museum of Chinese in America, based in New York.

Although I highlighted several websites with clear genealogical connections, there are all types of museums, historical societies and libraries to be found in this list. Not surprisingly, some links lead to robust collections while others – not so much.

This is a fun website to browse – you never know what you’ll find!